'Ping-Pong' Diplomacy (1969-1971)

US motives: wanted PRC to put pressure on Viet Cong to negotiate peace, wanted to put pressure on the USSR, a new strategic alliance, didn't want PRC to become a Soviet sattelite state, wanted to focus US' entire nuclear capability on USSR

Sino-US Relations (1972-1976)

Triangular Diplomacy - continued by President Ford after Nixon's resignation

wanted a three-way relationship between the US, USSR and PRC

anticipation that the USSR would be worried by a potential Sino-US alliance and so would maintain friendly relations with the US

reasoned that an independent PRC was better for the US than a Soviet satellite

Nixon's Trip to the PRC (1972)

Mao and Nixon established a good working relationship, and acknowledged disagreements over Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan, made a relationship based on peaceful co-existence, hoped to form formal diplomatic links by 1976, pledged to work together to resist any country attempting invasion in South-East Asia (i.e. USSR), and tried to increase trade

this caused great anxiety for USSR, but Nixon's 'Triangular Diplomacy' brought the most successful US-USSR summit of the Cold War

Sino-US relations after Nixon

No agreements were made due to Ford's weaker position for diplomacy due to his unpopularity with the US public